Where Angels Fear to Tread
by littlematchgirl
Summary: rated for Violence an whatnot, eh, my rendition of Grave of the FireFlies involving Nabiki and Akane mostly. It's so sad, so break out the kleenexs ppls! On Hiatus
1. Where Angels Fear to Tread

None of these Characters belong to me at all, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi and the creators of Grave of the Fireflies. Well, at least the story belongs to grave of the fireflies. I changed some stuff from Grave but it's not all that different. The characters are all Takahashi's though- . So without further adieu, here's my story.. be sure to bring kleenex's cuz it only gets sadder. This fic mostly centers around Nabiki, and Akane. Gosunkugi is a vital to the story, but he comes in the later. For those of you who have not seen Grave, don't read this till you watch it cuz it'll spoil the movie for you, I mean unless you wanna read it ofcourse, I don't care ok, on with the shooowww!!  
  
-Where Angels Fear to Tread-  
  
-LMG-  
  
In the beginning, there is eternal darkness and suddenly there's a spotlight.  
  
You see a character walk into it. It looks like a boy with a short bob hair cut and he's wearing a white beret and a green heavy jacket with khakis pants and brown boots. He has a pack on his back.   
  
The boy slowly raises his head and you see that it's not a boy at all, but Nabiki.  
  
Her face is dirty, and she looks tired and worn out from crying.  
  
There is a flash and Nabiki's gone.  
  
The light begins to dim and you see little fireflies cover the screen.  
  
You see a character fading into view.  
  
It is Nabiki and she is leaning up against a pillar.  
  
She is dressed in rags and is filthy.  
  
As the scene becomes clearer, you see that Nabiki is at a public place.  
  
There are people walking around her telling her she's disgusting and that bums should not be allowed in a public place like this.  
  
Nabiki is still sitting there not moving. She seems to be mouthing something, but it's not like anyone's listening.  
  
As the day turns into night, Nabiki is sitting by herself in the dark. She has enough strength to mutter one last word.  
  
"Akane..."  
  
Then she keels over onto the ground. Her eyes slowly close. There are flies buzzing around her and you get the feeling that she won't ever open her eyes again.  
  
Midnight rolls around and there is a clean up crew at the place. They're cleaning up the dead bodies.  
  
A burly janitor pokes at Nabiki's still form with the blunt end of his broom.  
  
"Hey-"  
  
Nothing.  
  
The man shakes his head and tsks.  
  
"Ah man, looks like we got another one over here...."  
  
He spies something in Nabiki's hands. He bends over and pries it away from her cold fingers.  
  
"Ne? What's this?"  
  
He eyes the object carefully. It's a little blue marble. The man snorts.  
  
It's nothing spectacular.  
  
He takes it and tosses it in the grass outside.  
  
There is a greenish/blue light coming from outside.  
  
A figure steps out from the darkness.  
  
It's Nabiki. She's alive and well.  
  
She looks down at the little blue marble in the dirt and smiles.  
  
This was the little marble that she found for her Akane the day they went to the beach.  
  
Nabiki picks it up and looks at it.  
  
There are tears brimming in her eyes.  
  
Suddenly, she hears Akane's laughter, she turns around and sees little five year old Akane running around in the grass behind her.  
  
Akane sees Nabiki and squeals in delight. She runs towards her older sister and hugs her.  
  
Nabiki grabs Akane's hands and squeezes it tight. She gives Akane her jewel and they both walk away into the night hand in hand.  
  
Nabiki's speaks. Her voice is clear and strong, un-afraid.  
  
"Let me tell you the story about how we died...."

-End-

What do you think? I know I know, but like I said, this is my rendition of Grave of the Fireflies and i changed a few things... but i don't care if you don't like it tough!! =P anyways, if you don't wanna read it then don't but if you do, let me warn you, it only gets worse from here on out. so prepare your kleenex's y'all. If you're expecting Ranma to come in, he doen's untill the later chapters... =PPPPP

-LMG-


	2. Where Angels Fear to Tread

None of these Characters belong to me at all, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi and the creators of Grave of the Fireflies. Well, at least the story belongs to grave of the fireflies. I changed some stuff from Grave but it's not all that different. The characters are all Takahashi's though- . So without further adieu, here's my story.. be sure to bring kleenex's cuz it only gets sadder. This fic mostly centers around Nabiki, and Akane. Gosunkugi is a vital to the story, but he comes in the later. For those of you who have not seen Grave, don't read this till you watch it cuz it'll spoil the movie for you, I mean unless you wanna read it ofcourse, I don't care ok, on with the shooowww!!  
  
-Where Angels Fear to Tread-  
  
-LMG-

/

/

/  
  
There is a quick flash and they're back in the past. Nabiki is holding onto Akane for dear life. Her Mother was pulling Kasumi towards the shelter and Kasumi was holding onto Nabiki.  
  
Nabiki had Akane tied to her back. She gritted her teeth.  
  
Danm Americans.... Daddy, I hope you get those assholes!!  
  
Soun Tendo had been drafted to war. He was in the navy and Nabiki's never been so proud of her father in her entire life.  
  
Someone pushes Nabiki and she starts to fall. Kasumi almost loses her grip on her little sister.  
  
"Biki-chan!" Kasumi screams.  
  
Nabiki quickly balances herself and regains her footing.  
  
"It's alright sis- I'm fine! It's just 'Kane I'm worried about!"  
  
Little Akane had her eyes sqeezed shut and her hands over her ears. She was so afraid of the sirens and the screams of the people she started to cry.  
  
"Biki- I'm scared!"  
  
Nabiki tried to calm Akane down.  
  
"It's alright Akane I'm scared too!" She admitted truthfully.  
  
There were so many people pushing and shoving their way through the crowd to try to get into the shelter. They were knocking each other down and trampling over one another.  
  
Nabiki watched in horror as an old couple got ran over by a huge cart. Their screams echoed in her young mind. She quickly threw a blanket over her back protectively shielding Akane from the hideous scene.  
  
Akane whimpered underneath the soft covers.  
  
Kasumi looked back at Nabiki. "Biki-chan, we're almost there!"  
  
Nabiki could barely make out her mother's form as the older women surged through the crowd to get to the safety of the shelter.  
  
Nabiki beamed, at least that was some good news right? She half-way turned her head towards Akane.  
  
"Ya here that 'Kane? We're almost there!"  
  
Akane nodded profusely not wanting to open her little eyes. They were almost there! They were almost at the shelter!! There they would be safe! Just as she thought those words, and airplane flew overhead.  
  
Nabiki's eyes widened with fear.  
  
Oh god please not now!  
  
They weren't the only ones to spy the airplane.  
  
The mob of people behind them could hear the plane coming from a mile away.  
  
Everyone started to panic.  
  
They began pushing each other. Akane started to cry in fear. Everything started to get tighter. It was harder to squeeze through the crowd.  
  
"Kasumi! Hold on to your sisters!! No matter what don't let go!!!" Her mother screamed at her.  
  
Kasumi winced at the sharp pain in her wrist, but she nodded. "Yes mother! I won't! I promise!!"  
  
Kasumi turned her head. She could see Nabiki out of the corner of her eye. "Biki-chan- don't let go!!"  
  
Nabiki grimaced in pain. Kasumi was holding her wrist so tightly. She felt her arm start to go numb.  
  
"I know Kasumi! I won't let go!!"  
  
As they meandered through the rough crowd, someone dashed by Nabiki.  
  
It was a man in his mid 30's. He was bigger and stronger than her. He shoved Nabiki to the side. The smaller girl lost her grip on Kasumi.  
  
Nabiki's mouth opened.  
  
Her eyes glazed over with fear and the thought of being trampled to death.  
  
Kasumi had enough time to turn around to see Nabiki disappearing in the madness.  
  
"Mom stop!! Nabiki, Akane!!!" She cried out in alarm.  
  
Her mother stopped. Her heart thundered through her ears. "No! Nabiki! Akane!!" She screamed.  
  
She got one last glimpse of her two daughters holding onto one another before a cart dashed their way crushing her two daughters.  
  
Her mother screamed a heart wrenching cry. Kasumi was in tears.  
  
The crowd kept pushing them away from Nabiki and Akane.  
  
Nabiki was glued to her spot.  
  
She was afraid that if she moved, she wouldn't see her mother.  
  
It was a foolish idea, but she couldn't help it.  
  
Fear and trepidation kept her sealed to her spot. Suddenly out of nowhere a runaway cart came crashing by.  
  
Nabiki only had seconds to react. She forced her legs to buckle and dived out of harms way just as the cart careened past them and into the crowd behind.  
  
There were many screams of pain and anguish.  
  
Nabiki tried desperately to block those sounds out of her ears.  
  
Akane was crying out loud. She was so scared. One moment she saw Kasumi and Mama, then all of the sudden she was alone with no one but Nabiki.  
  
Nabiki tried to hush her little sister as she pushed past the crowd to get to her mother. In the back of her mind, she knew that Kasumi and her mother were probably far away and couldn't reach them, but no matter what, she still had to try.  
  
Just as she thought those words, a plane dived down low.  
  
It dropped a couple of bombs their way and ran itself into a nearby building.  
  
Nabiki ran as fast as she could to a nearby underpass and ducked in.  
  
There were bombs falling everywhere and Akane was screaming now.  
  
Nabiki rocked her little sister back and forth trying to soothe her.  
  
There was a raging fire that was getting out of hand. Nabiki swallowed.  
  
The fire was getting close. She had to get her and Akane out of there now!  
  
She looked for an escape route and found none.  
  
She looked at the sewer drainage in the middle on the underpass. There were rats crawling out from there. She grimaced.  
  
I don't wanna do this, but it's not like I have a choice, it looks like the only way!  
  
She held on tightly to Akane and told her sister to hold on. She went over to the drainage pipe and rattled on the metal grate.  
  
It was flimsy enough that it broke.  
  
She crawled into the sewer and was knee deep in human feces. Akane stopped screaming but she was still in shock.  
  
"Eh.. it it smells in here Biki-chan!" She sobbed.  
  
Nabiki nodded. "I know 'Kane, but there's no other way. I swear once we get through this mess we'll go find Kasumi and Mama ok?"  
  
That seemed to calm her down.  
  
Nabiki wiped the sweat from her face and tried not to breathe in the stench. It was overbearing and she even threw up a couple of times.  
  
It seemed Akane did the same.  
  
"Biki- I threw up all over myself an your jacket!"  
  
Nabiki smiled. "It's alright sweetie, besides this jacket isn't mine, it's Dad's! See, it's too big to be mine!"  
  
"Oh." Akane said with an "O" face.  
  
Step by step they slowly made their way through the canal. It seemed like hours before they hit the end of the canal.  
  
Nabiki could see the light coming from the end of the tunnel and ran towards it happily.  
  
She got to the edge and looked up at the sky.  
  
From where she was standing, the sky looked clear. She slowly made her way out of the sewer and onto the ledge. Below them was a lake of sewage water, there was no way she'd take a dive into that!  
  
She looked up and could see another ledge. Nabiki climbed up and stood at what seemed to be the edge of hell. She couldn't believe her eyes.  
  
The sight was too horrendous to bear.  
  
What once was Nerima, was now nothing but a heap of ashes and smoke. She stood there mouth open gaping with shock.  
  
"Biki-chan what do you see?" piped up a curious Akane.  
  
Nabiki shook her head. "I-It's Nerima!"  
  
Akane squirmed. "I wanna see Lemme down Biki I wanna see too!!"  
  
Nabiki untied her sister and let her down so that she could see. Akane's eyes were wide with fear.  
  
"Biki, it's all gone!" she said it like a whisper.  
  
Nabiki grabbed her little sister's hand and squeezed it.  
  
"I know 'Kane, I know.... "  
  
She pulled Akane along. "Come on little sister, we gotta go and find out what's going on..."

-End-


	3. Where Angels Fear to Tread

None of these Characters belong to me at all, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi and the creators of Grave of the Fireflies. Well, at least the story belongs to grave of the fireflies. I changed some stuff from Grave but it's not all that different. The characters are all Takahashi's though- . So without further adieu, here's my story.. be sure to bring kleenex's cuz it only gets sadder. This Fic centers around Nabiki and Akane. Ranma and the others don't come in till the end. Um, in my fic, Akane's 5 and nabiki is 13. I know, this is a big difference, but I don't care =PPPPP On with the shoooww!! Sad sad sad!  
  
-Where Angels Fear to Tread-  
  
-LMG-

/

/

/  
  
Nabiki pulled Akane along the side of the road.  
  
Akane grabbed herself.  
  
"Biki- I gotta go pee!"  
  
Nabiki stopped and looked down at her cute little sister. She looked around her surrounding.  
  
They were near a grassy knoll. The grass was tall enough for Akane to go without being noticed. She didn't see anyone coming. Nabiki nodded to her sister.  
  
"Alright go on! But don't go too far so I can't see you!"  
  
Akane ran into the field and pulled her pants down.  
  
Nabiki sighed. Mom, Kasumi, I hope you guys are alright. She kept thinking about the recent events that happened. The mob, the man that shook her away from Kasumi, the old people that got crushed by the cart. Nabiki shut her eyes and tried to block the images from re-emerging from her mind. Just then she felt a little tug at her hand.  
  
Nabiki looked down. Akane stood next to her with a little smile on her face.  
  
"K, Biki I'm done! We can go now!"  
  
Nabiki smiled in return. "Alright little sis, let's go!" She hiked the little tyke onto her shoulders and started walking. Akane tried to protest. "Biki- I can walk by myself!!"  
  
Nabiki grinned. Akane's real light, carrying her won't be a problem.  
  
"It's ok, 'Kane-chan, besides, with me carrying you like this, it'll be faster! You do wanna go see Kasumi and Mom don't you?"  
  
Akane pursed her little lips. "Um. Oh- ok but Oneechan! H-How are we gonna find them? Where do we go?"  
  
Good question. Nabiki thought as she walked on. She kept having to re- adjust her shoulders, because she was carrying her over-the-shoulder pack and Akane as well.  
  
"I think I know where they are- I mean Mom and Kasumi- I think. We should head over to Grand Central in Central Square! Mom said to go there once, if we ever get separated or if anything ever happened. So- That's where they'll be."  
  
Akane beamed. "Ok let's hurry up then Biki- Mama could be there now!"  
  
Nabiki chuckled at this. Akane could be easily over excited and it was getting very catchy. Nabiki started to run. She had her hands circled around Akane's ankles securing the little girl from falling.  
  
"Alright 'Kane-chan here I go!!"  
  
Akane squealed in delight as the two ran towards Central Square.  
  
When they got there, people were trying to side-step away from them.  
  
"P-U kid! Get a shower!"  
  
"Yeah- man you guys stink!"  
  
Nabiki took Akane off her shoulders and sat her down in a corner. Akane tugged at Nabiki's jacket.  
  
"Ah- Oneechan!! Why are those people saying those things about us?"  
  
Nabiki threw them nasty glares.  
  
"Well Akane what do you expect?" She said kindly roughing up Akane's short hair. "We've been crawling through a sewer duct! I gather we smell real bad!"  
  
She peered down at her soaked pants.  
  
Ugh! Nabiki couldn't stand the feel of the sewer water in her soaked boots. She made a disgusted face.  
  
Just then someone called her name. "Nabiki? Nabiki Tendo?!?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
That doesn't sound like Mom or Kasumi!  
  
When she turned around she was confronted by a familiar person.  
  
Fujiko Akita.  
  
Fujiko was a good friend of the family. She often baby-sat for the Tendo's, Nabiki considered her more of a close Aunt of some sort.  
  
Fujiko hugged her. "Nabiki-chan! I'm so glad that you're alright!!"  
  
Akane ran up to the elder woman and tugged at her skirt. "Fujiko! Fujiko!"  
  
Fujiko laughed at this and reached down to hold the little girl in her arms. "Oh Akane, I'm so happy that you've made it here too!"  
  
Nabiki touched the older woman's shoulder. "Fujiko! Have you seen my mother? Or Kasumi?"  
  
Fujiko turned her head sharply and the look in her eyes gripped at Nabiki's soul. Fujiko's eyes darted over to Akane and then back at her. Nabiki understood this kind of body language very well. Fujiko knew something about her mother and sister, but she wasn't willing to share the information in front of Akane.  
  
Nabiki swallowed.  
  
Something's wrong. Her eyes pleading. Please don't let this be true!  
  
Fujiko didn't say anything.  
  
She just stood up and touched Nabiki's shoulders.  
  
"Biki- " She paused. She smiled sadly. "I- I think that you should come with me. There is something I have to show you!"  
  
Nabiki bit her lip.  
  
Fujiko grabbed Akane's hand. "Alright little one, I think that you and your big sister need a bath! And you won't get one here! P-U- you guys stink!!"  
  
Akane laughed at the older woman's teasing. "Hahahaha.. ok Fujiko- but Auntie! Where's Mama?"  
  
Fujiko smiled at the little girl. "S-She's alright Akane, you'll see her soon!"  
  
Nabiki followed Fujiko as she lead them to a nearby hospital. As they walked, Fujiko asked Nabiki what happened and how it was that they got separated. Nabiki told her everything. Akane was humming a favorite nursery tune.  
  
Nabiki sighed wistfully. I wish I was a child again... They seem so innocent and oblivious to everything....  
  
She shook her head.  
  
No- I can't be thinking stupid things like that! If what I fear is true, then I'm gonna need to be strong now then ever!  
  
When they got inside, Fujiko lead them to a furo. "Here, you guys need to take a bath and after you do- you'll need some fresh clothing..."  
  
Nabiki nodded. She took her clothes off and helped Akane out of hers. They both stepped in and started washing. Fujiko came back a few minutes later with some towels and new clothing. She set them down and picked up the old ones.  
  
"I'll have these washed for you. They should be good and clean for tomorrow! When you're done, just come out to the waiting room and I'll be out there with your rations."  
  
Fujiko stated with a smile. Nabiki thanked her and the older woman left the two sisters. After they were done scrubbing and cleaning themselves, they got out of the bath and dried themselves off and put on the new clothes.  
  
Nabiki smiled at Akane. "There sis, fresh and clean!"  
  
Akane nodded happily. "Uh hm...." She chirped.  
  
Nabiki held Akane's hand and lead her out of the room. They walked into the hospital waiting room and waited for Fujiko to return.  
  
Nabiki placed her younger sister in a chair and told her to wait.  
  
"I'm just going to ask some questions about Mom an Kasumi an Auntie Fujiko ok Akane?"  
  
The little girl nodded and hopped out of her seat. She started to play hopscotch with the marble tiles on the hospital floor. Nabiki stared at her sister for a moment longer making sure that she was positively in no danger and turned to go to the front desk.  
  
There were nurses and doctors running around frantically trying to take care of the patients.  
  
The hospital was so full and overworked that there were bodies literally flooding the floors. There were bodies laying on cots and stretchers out in the waiting room.  
  
Nabiki stepped over them cautiously as she meandered her way towards the desk.  
  
When she reached it, she tried to question the Nurse there about her mother.  
  
The women waved her aside and told her to go sit and wait for her turn. Nabiki clenched her fists.  
  
She saw a nearby doctor run past her. She grabbed his arm.  
  
"Excuse me sir-" was all she could get until the doctor roughly yanked his arm out of her grasp.  
  
"Let go! Will someone please take this child back to the waiting room?" He said annoyed.  
  
Nabiki stared at him in shock as he walked away.  
  
Then she felt some big hands around her shoulders roughly shoving her towards the seats and Akane.  
  
"You git outta here brat!! Stop gettin in trouble!!" The burly man pushed her into a seat and spun on his heel.  
  
Nabiki rubbed her bruised bottom.  
  
The nurse behind her hmphed. "Feh- Kids! You'd think they'd be more cooperative after the bombings and what they been through- but no! They're still the same!"  
  
Nabiki glared at her and clenched her jaw. These people are horrible!!  
  
A little voice inside reasoned with her, they're only that way because they're overworked and they're probably tired.  
  
I hate being treated like this, just cuz I'm a kid!  
  
She drew her knees up and sulked.  
  
Little Akane saw what happened. She teetered over to Nabiki and tried to wrap her tiny arms around Nabiki.  
  
"It's ok Biki- those people are mean!"  
  
Nabiki withdrew her knees and lifted Akane up into her lap.  
  
"Ah- It's ok 'Kane, they're just acting like a buncha jerks because they're probably tired and sore from all the work."  
  
Akane gave her a serious look.  
  
"But Onnechan- If they're so tired, then why don't they just get more people to help?"  
  
Nabiki shook her head and squeezed her sister tight.  
  
"Because 'Kane- There's no one else..."

-End-


	4. Where Angels Fear to Tread

Like i said, these characters don't belong to me and blah blah... well, here's the other part... believ it or not, i was actually in tears when i wrote these peices.. I dunno, i guess i just really like being sad... lol oh well, like i said it only gets sadder so you guys prepare to be sad.. Thankyou guys for reviewing my story... you guys are so cool!!   
  
-Where Angels Fear to Tread-  
  
-LMG-

/

/

/  
  
Nabiki sat there with Akane in her arms, for a couple of hours. Every now and then Akane would jump off her lap and play under the seat, pretending it's her playhouse.  
  
She would also get up and pretend to play tea time with Nabiki.  
  
Nabiki often humored her, because there was nothing else to do.  
  
"Biki- I don't like it here, what are we waiting for?"  
  
Nabiki pretends to sip her imaginary tea.  
  
"Well, 'Kane-chan, we have to sit here and wait for Auntie Fujiko, remember?" She reminded her little sister.  
  
Akane cocked her head to the side, causing her boyish haircut to fall forward. "Oh, yeah, I forgot! But Biki- it's so boring here! There's nothing to do!!"  
  
Nabiki laughed. "HEheh, I know Akane, but we have to be patient... be a good girl for me ok?"  
  
Akane gave her a good nod.  
  
Finally, Nabiki spotted Fujiko coming towards her from the west wing.  
  
She got up from her seat and pointed at Fujiko. "See 'Kane, there's Auntie now. And look!! She's even got some food for us!!"  
  
Akane brightened up at the sound of that.  
  
Fujiko smiled at the two girls and handed Nabiki her tray of food. She still hung onto Akane's much to the little girl's chagrin.  
  
The little girl tugged at Fujiko's skirt. "Auntie!! I'm hungry!"  
  
Fujiko grinned. "It's ok Akane, I'll give you your portion soon."  
  
Nabiki smiled warmly at the older woman. "Fujiko, thank you so much for everything."  
  
Fujiko nodded. "Yes, well, it's really nothing Nabs, here, we should go somewhere and eat this..."  
  
Both girls nodded enthusiastically.  
  
They found a place outside of the hospital. It was a patchy piece of grass by the riverfront.  
  
Nabiki and Fujiko ate together on a nearby bench while Akane sat in the grass.  
  
They sat there and ate a while.  
  
Akane ate her fill and then after she was done, started to tear at the grass.  
  
There was a sakura tree nearby and Akane danced underneath of it while the leaves fell. She was trying to catch them.  
  
Nabiki watched Akane with sisterly tenderness.  
  
Akane....  
  
Fujiko gently touched her arm.  
  
"Nabiki-"  
  
The younger girl turned towards her.  
  
"Fujiko- How bad is it? Mom, Kasumi?"  
  
Fujiko shook her head. "Wow, can't keep anything away from you can I?"  
  
She sighed, her shoulders shook a little. "I- I don't know how to break this to you at all... so- I'll just come out and say it...."  
  
Nabiki could feel her heart pound.  
  
Oh god... I knew it... it's bad...  
  
"You're mother ... she's in critical condition... She and Kasumi we're trying to go back to get you and Akane when the plane crashed... Kasumi pushed your mother out of the way .... And.... "  
  
Nabiki gripped the older womans hand tightly. "No- Fujiko that's enough... "  
  
Nabiki knew, from the tone in Fujiko's voice and the look on her face....  
  
Kasumi was gone.  
  
Kasumi pushed Mom out of the way to save her from the Kamikaze.....  
  
Kasumi- Mom, you guys came back for me an Akane....  
  
You guys....  
  
Kasumi had told her to hold on....  
  
Nabiki said that she would...  
  
and ....  
  
It was her fault....  
  
She dropped her chopstick onto the ground. Her eyes began to tear.  
  
Nabiki remembered the look on Kasumi's frightened face when she let go, and wondered if that was the same look she had when she died.  
  
"And- Mama?" She asked her voice shaking.  
  
Fujiko looked at Nabiki her face was full of compassion. "Biki- your mother, she was in the emergency room for hours... she just got out.... It's bad Biki-chan..."  
  
Nabiki wiped away her tears.  
  
Oh god... It was all her fault.... If she hadn't let go... none of this wouldn't have happened... they would all be here together....  
  
Nabiki sniffed. "Fujiko, how did you know about Mom and Kasumi?"  
  
Fujiko took Nabiki's hand in her own and squeezed. "Biki-chan, your mother told me before going into surgery... she had enough strength to tell me what happened and where to look for you...."  
  
Nabiki wiped her nose on her sleeve. "Auntie, promise me you won't tell 'Kane about this please?"  
  
Fujiko nodded.  
  
Nabiki rubbed her eyes. "Thanks Auntie!"  
  
She hugged the older woman.  
  
Akane being the curious child came over to see what was going on.  
  
She clamored into Nabiki's lap. "Biki, what's wrong Oneechan?"  
  
Nabiki forced herself to smile for Akane's sake.  
  
"Heh, it's nothing Akane... it's just that my eyes sweat a lot sometimes..."  
  
Akane gave her a small smile. "You mean like Daddy? Daddy's eyes sweat a lot too remember?"  
  
Nabiki and Fujiko laughed.  
  
HEheh... that's right. Dad used to cry a lot... but now... she was the one crying... and dad... well he's off at war...  
  
Nabiki had a look of determination on her face.  
  
If Dad could be brave in the face of his enemies, she would be too.  
  
They lost Kasumi, but there was no way they would lose Mom!! She would have to write a telegram to her father and tell him to come back. They really needed him now more than ever!  
  
Fujiko got up and picked Akane's tray.  
  
"Come on you two... we should be going ..."  
  
Nabiki and Akane nodded and got up. Hand in hand they followed Fujiko back to the hospital.  
  
When they got there, Nabiki pulled Fujiko to the side. "Auntie, you think I can go see Mom?"  
  
She nodded. "I think so Nabiki, but you should go see her by yourself... I don't think that Akane should see her in... her condition..."  
  
Nabiki opened her mouth to respond.  
  
Fujiko shook her head. "Don't worry, I'll be here with Akane, she'll be fine... Go see you mother Nabiki..."  
  
Nabiki bowed her head slightly and walked away. She followed Fujiko's directions and made her way to see her mother. She stood in front of the burned victims unit room.  
  
Nabiki swallowed. She didn't want to go in, but she had to. She took a deep breath and walked into the room.  
  
There weren't enough words to describe the horrors she faced as she made her way towards her mother. There were burned bodies everywhere. They were practically piled up against each other.  
  
Nabiki could smell their cooked skin.  
  
It was almost like a bar-b-que in here.  
  
Nabiki felt like throwing up.  
  
If she ever made it through this horrible ordeal, she vowed to never eat meat again.  
  
Finally, she made it to the end.  
  
She looked to her left and saw a lone figure lying in a single cot.  
  
The person was bandaged from head to toe except for the eyes and the lips and the nose. Nabiki could see that there was no skin left on those parts. She started to cry as she read the name template of the bed.  
  
It was her mother.  
  
She fell onto her knees, dizzy.  
  
Mom...  
  
She crawled towards her mother.  
  
Mom....  
  
Nabiki got to the foot of the bed before she passed out.  
  
When she came to, she was lying on her back. There was a light shining in her eyes. She winced and held her hand up. Someone was pulling her to her feet.  
  
"Good, she's not hurt.... I wonder what happened... what is she doing here? She's a kid! Does anyone know her?"  
  
Nabiki still felt woozy.  
  
Oh god... MOM.  
  
Nabiki looked over her shoulder at her mother.  
  
She tore herself away from the people pulling her up.  
  
She crawled over to her mother's bedside.  
  
She took one look at her mother and started to cry. She held her hands over her face.  
  
The doctors and nurses around her stood there and watched her cry.  
  
They let her have her moment of tears.  
  
There was a basket next to her mother. It was filled with the things she had been carrying to the shelter.  
  
Her necklaces and her lovely kimono.  
  
Nabiki grabbed it and hugged it close to her bosom. Her tears fell onto the kimono, and Nabiki didn't think that they would ever stop.  
  
There was a picture in the basket.  
  
It was a family portrait of her, her mother, Kasumi, her father and Akane. They were standing in front of the Dojo, and they all looked so happy...  
  
Nabiki shook her head.  
  
Why? Why did this happen?  
  
Why did this stupid war have to happen?  
  
Why did her Daddy have to go?  
  
Why did Kasumi have to die?  
  
Why did her mother have to be here in this hospital dressed up in those horrible bandages?  
  
Why oh why?  
  
Why did she and Akane have to be alone?  
  
Nabiki didn't know the answers... She wanted to throw her fist in the air.. she wanted to kick yell scream cry... all of the above...  
  
There was a burning ball of hate in her heart..  
  
But who would she hate?  
  
The Americans?  
  
The government for drafting her dad?  
  
God? Who could she hate? Who was to blame?  
  
Nabiki shook her head. There was nothing she could do. Now here she was all alone, and Akane? She would have to take care of Akane now.  
  
She was only 13! What did she know about parenting?!?  
  
The doctors not knowing what to do left Nabiki to her own demise. She was sitting there on the floor next to her mother.  
  
Nabiki realized nothing would ever be the same again.  
  
Even if her father were to come back right now, everything would be different... her, Akane, her mom... if she survived this... everything had changed... and so on that day, Nabiki decided it was time to grow up.

-End-


End file.
